Image permission: Steve Pollitt
LANCASHIRE, UK – Solway Sharks continued their unbeaten start to the season with victories in Moralee D1 and the NIHL National Cup.
Steven Moore and Iain Bowie were on target in Solway’s 2-1 cup win at home to Billingham Stars, while Joe Coulter’s late empty-netter capped a 5-3 league victory at Nottingham Lions.
Telford Tigers also maintained their 100% league and cup record with two weekend wins. The Tigers triumphed 5-2 at Basingstoke Bison in the cup and followed up with a 5-3 league success at Solihull Barons.
Kieran Brown hit a hat-trick for Blackburn Hawks in their 6-3 win at home to Hull Pirates, but they were out of luck the following day at Sheffield Steeldogs as the home side secured a 4-1 success – Milan Kolena (3) topped the scoring.
Hull enjoyed better fortunes in the cup as they ran out 6-3 winners at home to Peterborough Phantoms – James Archer bagged a hat-trick for the Pirates.
Shaun Kippin (4) led the way for Whitley Warriors in their 11-6 victory at Deeside Dragons.
Widnes Wild are still top of Laidler D2 after recording a 6-4 win over Sutton Sting – player/coach Ollie Barron (2) led their scoring.
Sheffield Senators moved up to second in the table after picking up a pair of victories. Thomas Proctor scored four in their 14-1 home success against Blackburn Hawks 2, while Elliott Knell weighed in with a couple of goals as the Senators won 4-1 at Telford Tigers 2.
Richard Haggar scored five for Hull Jets in their impressive 10-2 home win against Telford. Coventry Blaze NIHL came from behind to secure a 6-5 home victory over Bradford Bulldogs, while Deeside Dragons 2 lost 7-6 after a shoot-out at Blackburn.
PHN’s top two talking points
Sharks and Tigers set up big clash in Telford
Solway Sharks and Telford Tigers both maintained their unbeaten records over the weekend, setting up an intriguing clash between the two sides next Saturday.
The Sharks comfortably claimed last season’s D1 title, but their game at Telford should tell us plenty about the respective strength of each team.
The Tigers have already recorded two victories over NIHL South side Basingstoke Bison in the cup and will be out to show they are genuine title contenders in the north this term.
Brown off to a flyer in the pub league
Kieran Brown is rated as one of the brightest prospects in the British game, so his debut hat-trick for the Hawks on Saturday came as no surprise.
Brown has joined the club on a two-way deal from Elite League side Sheffield Steelers, with head coach Paul Thompson saying the move will greatly enhance the 16-year-old’s development.
All parties will benefit from the arrangement and it proves that the so-called pub league does have its uses.
WEEKEND RESULTS
Moralee D1
Blackburn Hawks 6-3 Hull Pirates
Deeside Dragons 6-11 Whitley Warriors
Nottingham Lions 3-5 Solway Sharks
Sheffield Steeldogs 4-1 Blackburn Hawks
Solihull Barons 3-5 Telford Tigers
Laidler D2
Blackburn Hawks 2 7-6 Deeside Dragons 2 (SO)
Coventry Blaze NIHL 6-5 Bradford Bulldogs
Hull Jets 10-2 Telford Tigers 2
Sheffield Senators 14-1 Blackburn Hawks 2
Telford Tigers 2 1-4 Sheffield Senators
Widnes Wild 6-4 Sutton Sting
NIHL National Cup
Basingstoke Bison 2-5 Telford Tigers
Hull Pirates 6-3 Peterborough Phantoms
Solway Sharks 2-1 Billingham Stars
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